text:
The case for a better brunch
By Julia Kramer
Where you should be brunching now
After making our way through more than 50 brunches, we narrowed down our list to 20 favorites. Some we love for their warm, inviting rooms; others for their ambitious but balanced morning cocktails. But all of them are killing it in the kitchen, with careful sourcing, imaginative dishes and consistent execution.
• Balsan
• Big Jones
• Birchwood Kitchen
• Bite Cafe
• the Bristol
• City Provisions
• Jam
• Julius Meinl
• Kingsbury Street Cafe
• Longman & Eagle
• Lula Cafe
• Nightwood
• Owen & Engine
• Perennial Virant
• the Publican
• Sola
• Southport Grocery
• Sprout
• Table Fifty-Two
• Tre Kronor


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Haliotis kamtschatkana
|Scope: Global
Language: English
|Scientific Name:
|Haliotis kamtschatkana Jonas, 1845
Common Name(s):
Haliotis aulaea Bartsch, 1940
Haliotis smithsoni Bartsch, 1940
|Taxonomic Source(s):
|WoRMS Editorial Board. 2015. World Register of Marine Species. Available at: http://www.marinespecies.org. (Accessed: 16 April 2015).
|Red List Category & Criteria:
|Endangered A2abd ver 3.1
|Year Published:
|Date Assessed:
Needs updating
|McDougall, P.T., Ploss, J. & Tuthill, J.
|Geiger, D., Haaker, P. & Seddon, M.B. (Mollusc Red List Authority)
The global status of the pinto abalone Haliotis kamtschatkana Jonas, 1845 is assessed as EN A2abd based on an observed population size reduction of 50%. We report on declines of 89.7% and 41.4% observed in catch per unit effort (CPUE) for both the Alaskan and British Columbian fisheries respectively. These data are comparable to declines in population densities of 88.6% and 85.5%, as measured at index sites in two regions on the coast of British Columbia. Although the observed declines support a classification of CR A2a (an observed population size reduction of 80%), we judge that the historical elimination of a chief predator led to abnormally large pre-exploitation levels. Due to the observed declines, all commercial harvests of the pinto abalone were closed by the year 1996. Current population numbers are stable, but potential for further decline still exists due to incomplete knowledge, an increase in sea otter populations, and continued poaching.
Correction notice: the EN A2a assessment that appeared in the 2006 Red List was corrected to EN A2abd in 2007. Based on the information provided in the assessment, the 50% population declines are based on direct observation, an index of abundance (CPUE and site index data) and direct exploitation of the species.
|Range Description:
|See the Supplementary Material for Figure 1: map of pinto abalone distribution.
The range of the pinto abalone extends from Sitka Island, Alaska in the north (Geiger 2000, ABMAP 2003) to Turtle Bay, Baja California in the south (McLean 1966) (Figure 1, in Supplementary Material). In central California, the form merges into the subspecies H. kamtschatkana assimilis (threaded abalone), which occupies the southern part of the range (Cox 1962, McLean 1966, Geiger 2000). The current assessment restricts the discussion to the pinto abalone due to the relative lack of overlap in abundance and to the anecdotally low presence of threaded abalone relative to other abalone species of the south (Cox 1962).
|Countries occurrence:
Native:Canada (British Columbia); United States (Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington)
|FAO Marine Fishing Areas:
Pacific – eastern central; Pacific – northwest; Pacific – northeast
|Additional data:
|Range Map:
|Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.
|See the Supplementary Material for Tables 1 & 2, and Figures 2, 3 & 4.
Alaska and British Columbia are the only two regions where targeted commercial fisheries for pinto abalone ever existed. Data from these area consist of catch totals and CPUE values for both regions as well as index site densities from the coast of British Columbia. The percentage of the global population of pinto abalone present in British Columbia and Alaska is not known (Toole et al. 2002), however, NMFS (2004b) reported that the pinto distribution predominantly occurs in Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington. Nevertheless, significant populations of pinto abalone are absent south of San Juan, Orcas and Lopez Islands in Washington State (B. Sizemore, Department of Fish and Game, Olympia, WA, pers. comm). Furthermore, Rogers-Bennett et al. (2002) reported that pinto abalone are very rare in Northern California, accounting for only <1% of the total abalone population in that region. Due to the scarcity of pinto abalone south of Washington, and since the reported densities in Washington were below the suggested minimum viable density for abalone recruitment in 1996 (Table 1, in Supplementary Material), we made the assumption that Alaska and British Columbia represent the core of the species distribution.
We estimated the generation time for pinto abalone at about 10 years. This estimate is potentially subjective due to the difficulties in aging and the uncertainties of the stock-recruitment relationships. Breen (1986) speculated that individual pinto abalone could live up to 50 years, but this was an estimate based on a single individual that measured 164 mm (SL). Growth curves suggest that the largest abalone live to be at least 13–15 years of age (Quayle 1971, Sloan and Breen 1988, Shepherd et al. 2000). Furthermore, due to the relationship of increased fecundity with increased size (see Campbell 1997), older abalone contribute more to the total reproductive output of the population than do younger abalone. Considering that reproductive age ranges from approximately 3–4 years old to 13–15 years old, we reached an estimate of 10 years of age for the purpose of this assessment. In order to satisfy the IUCN stipulation for declines observed "over the last 10 years or three generations, whichever is the longer" (IUCN 2001), this assessment would require data that extended back 30 years, to about 1974. This is approximately the time period that we used for the assessment, with some limitations due to the data.
Population in Alaska
Alaskan fishery CPUE data for the pinto abalone extend back to 1971. A sharp initial increase in both catch as well as CPUE in the early seventies (Fig. 2, in Supplementary Material) was likely an artifact of a developing fishery (Breen 1986). We therefore decided to consider the decline in CPUE from the peak in 1979 to the close of the fishery in 1996. We analyzed the CPUE values against calendar year using a linear regression. The slope of the regression line indicates an observed decline in CPUE of 89.7% between 1979 and 1996 (Table 2, in Supplementary Material).
The 89.7% decline in CPUE is the only measure of pinto abalone numbers in Alaska, since the region has no abalone index sites. Without index sites, and with the closure of the fishery in 1996, there is no way to determine the current status of Alaskan stocks of pinto abalone. We assume that the patterns in British Columbia reflect the post-closure Alaskan abalone populations as well.
Population in British Columbia
There are two types of data from the British Columbia portion of the range: fisheries-dependent and fisheries-independent. The fisheries-dependent data consist of catch and CPUE values that extending back to 1977. Complementing this are fisheries-independent data that consist of densities measured at survey sites throughout the central coast (Campbell et al. 1998) and the southeast region of the Queen Charlotte Islands (Campbell et al. 2000). Since the fisheries-independent data extend past the 1990 closure of the fishery, they provide a view of the current status of pinto abalone in British Columbia.
The decline observed in the CPUE data from the British Columbian fishery is less steep that that observed in the Alaskan fishery (Fig. 3, in Supplementary Material). The CPUE values were analyzed against calendar year using a linear regression (Table 2, in Supplementary Material), which demonstrated a 41.4% decline in CPUE between 1977 and 1990. The difference in the percentage decline in CPUE between Alaska and British Columbia is likely a result of different approaches in fisheries management. The initial response to the 1977 expansion in the British Columbia abalone fishery was to establish a limited entry fishery, where managers sought to limited effort (Muse 1998). Limiting the entry, and thus the number of divers in the fishery, served to offset the decreasing catch totals. This reduced the observed decline in CPUE; the opposite of what occurred in the Alaskan fishery where the rapid increase in diver participation in the early 1990s accelerated the decline in CPUE.
The site index surveys in the southeast Queen Charlotte Islands and in the central coast region demonstrate a much steeper decline in population numbers than do the CPUE data. There was an 88.6% decline between the 1979–80 density of 2.37 abalone/m² and the 2001 density of 0.27 abalone/m² in the central coast of British Columbia (Fig. 4, panel A, in Supplementary Material). Furthermore, there was an 85.5% decline between the 1978 density of 2.75 abalone/m² and the average density of 0.40 abalone/m² in 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002 in the Queen Charlotte Islands (Fig. 4, panel B, in Supplementary Material). We averaged the densities in the last four surveys of the Queen Charlotte Islands because they represent an apparent levelling out of the decline. There has been no significant increase or decrease in densities observed in that area since the closing of the fishery in 1990 (Campbell et al. 2000).
The Queen Charlotte Islands index sites are considered accurate estimates of density levels in that region of the pinto abalone distribution. Campbell et al. (2000) reported no significant difference between the density recorded at index sites (0.49 abalone/m²) and the density recorded at other random sites (0.54 abalone/m²) in 1998. Furthermore, these density values are comparable to densities observed in other regions of British Columbia. In a study on Dallain Point and Higgins Pass (central coast of British Columbia), total densities were observed at 0.43 and 0.52 abalone/m², respectively (Cripps and Campbell 1998). Similarly, a survey of abalone populations at Stryker Island, Tribal Group Islands and Simonds Group Islands (also within the central coast of British Columbia) reported densities of 0.71, 0.55 and 0.59 abalone/m², respectively (Campbell and Cripps 1998). Although there are no data that allow for a temporal comparison, the general similarities in observed densities reinforce the findings from the two major studies charting the abalone decline.
It is important to note that although the above declines are steepest prior to the close of the fishery, and that the index sites indicate very little change over the past decade, there is a great deal of uncertainty involved. So much of pinto abalone biology remains unknown, and despite a number of possible suspects, the reason for the lack of recovery remains a mystery. With densities dangerously close to suggested recruitment thresholds, it is quite possible that the decline, although lessened by the closure of the fishery, may not be recoverable.
CPUE versus Site Index Densities
Abalone are vulnerable to serial depletion because they are sessile invertebrates with a moderate ability to aggregate (McShane 1998, Karpov et al. 2000). This characteristic of abalone ecology results in a potential bias when using CPUE data to demonstrate trends in abundance (McShane 1998). CPUE can remain relatively steady despite declining abundance. Due to this bias, the decline in CPUE observed in the Alaskan fishery is possibly an underestimate of the actual drop in abalone numbers—although management decision to leave effort in the fishery unrestricted certainly contributed to increasing the slope of declining CPUE. On the other hand, British Columbian managers successfully limited entry into the latter portion of the fishery, which possibly resulted in the slower observed decline in CPUE. Nonetheless, the British Columbia fishery CPUE trend is also likely an underestimate of the actual decline due to the same bias from harvesting techniques. With the uncertainty attached to both CPUE measures, the best estimate is likely to be the most direct measure available. Since the index sites in British Columbia are direct measurements of abalone density, they likely offer the clearest view of pinto abalone numbers. This view is of a species reduced to dangerously low levels, although levels that appear to be sufficient for persistence given the current conditions.
|Current Population Trend:
|Additional data:
|Habitat and Ecology:
|Pinto abalone are sessile gastropods that exist in patchy distributions (Sloan and Breen 1988). Their preferred habitat is categorized as rocky-shore coastline. At its northern range limit, pinto abalone occur from the intertidal zone to at least 10–20 m depth (Cripps and Campbell 1998), although there are some reports of abalone found at 100 m. In its southern range limit, McLean (1966) described pinto abalone as strictly subtidal, but Cox (1962) claimed that large populations could be found in deeper waters.
Pinto abalone are herbivores of the intertidal zone, and are prey to a diverse range of predators. Early pinto abalone diet consists of phytoplankton, but at 5 mm (SL) they switch to macro-algae that ranges from minute forms to giant bull kelp (Kawamura et al. 1998). Abalone predators differ depending on the water depth in which they occur. In subtidal waters, their predators include asteroids (Pycnopodia and Astrometis), crabs, fish (Scorpaenichthys, Anarrhichthys, Myliobatis, and Semicossyphus), octopi, and sea otters (Enhydra lutris) (Sloan and Breen 1988, Hobday and Tegner 2000). In intertidal waters, birds, sea otters, and mink are the major predators (Day and Shepherd 1995). The eradication of the sea otter during the 19th century led to the increased co-occurrence of sea urchins and abalone. Sea urchins out compete pinto abalone for food resources, which has resulted in "sea urchin barrens"—large areas with high sea urchin populations, no macroalgae and little or no abalone (Jamieson 2001). Nevertheless, sea urchins may provide some enhancement by maintaining encrusting coralline algae cover (Tegner and Levin 1982, McShane 1992) and by affording shelter under their spine canopy to small abalone (Tegner and Dayton 1987).
|Major Threat(s):
See the Supplementary Material for figure 5.
Human Exploitation
Poaching of pinto abalone is a lucrative enterprise and is likely placing continued stress on the remaining abalone populations (Campbell 1997, Muse 1998, Wallace 1999, Jamieson 2001). This is unsurprising given that the value per diver hour in the British Columbia fishery was over CAD 600 prior to its closure, and continued upwards due to an ever-expanding market demand in Asia (Muse 1998). Wallace (1999) reported that pinto abalone meat could fetch up to CAD 100/kg on the black market in southern British Columbia. Furthermore, recreational divers and First Nations harvesters may also be responsible for a significant amount of illegal abalone collection (Tegner 2000). The combination of this high black-market value and the enforcement problems resulting from a large and uninhabited coastline suggest a major threat to abalone recovery (Toole et al. 2002).
In support of the aforementioned threats, sample data on the size distribution of a seizure of more than 6,700 pinto abalone in British Columbia suggest that poachers are collecting mature abalone with no regard for the legal size limit (Campbell 2000). So in effect, poachers are taking everything that they can find. Maintaining a viable density of reproductive individuals is crucial for recruitment levels and for the survivability of the stock. Extensive poaching effort risks extirpating abalone from local areas, thereby jeopardizing the recovery of the entire population.
Illegal harvest of pinto abalone is likely to continue to pose a threat to the recovery of the species. The large and mostly uninhabited coastline is a serious hindrance to enforcement efforts (Toole et al. 2002). Furthermore, the extraordinarily high unit value of pinto abalone makes poaching a very lucrative enterprise (Campbell 2000). The removal of large numbers of mature individuals drastically threatens the reproductive potential of an already depressed population (Toole et al. 2002). Poachers also represent a major concern to the establishment of protected areas and no-take zones. Such areas are easily flagged as targets for illegal exploitation, which compromises their value as refugia (Tegner 2000).
Recruitment failure
There is both empirical and theoretical evidence to suggest that abalone are susceptible to recruitment failure at reduced densities (Prince et al. 1988, Shepherd and Partington 1995, Woodby et al. 2000, Jamieson 2001). Shepherd and Partington (1995) reported a minimum recruitment density of 0.15 recruits/m2, which renders the population highly susceptible to recruitment over-fishing. Furthermore, there is considerable intra- and inter-annual variation in recruitment and in the production of gametes in individuals (McShane 1998). Reproductive success is also dependent upon the distance between spawners, the number of eggs and sperm released, the speed of water currents as well as other factors (Babcock and Keesing 1999). Because harvesters of abalone tended and still tend to remove all available individuals from each site that they visit, it is expected that the resulting smaller local populations have been, and are currently, at risk of experiencing recruitment failure.
Predation by Sea Otters
Sea otters are effective predators of abalone (Wendell 1994, Watson 2000). They currently overlap with pinto abalone in only the northernmost reaches of the pinto distribution (Fig. 5, panel B, in Supplementary Material) (Watson 2000, Estes et al. 2001). Due to this partial overlap, it is doubtful that sea otters are responsible for the observed decline in abalone populations over the last few decades. Nevertheless, sea otter numbers are increasing as a result of strong conservation efforts (Estes et al. 2001). Where pinto abalone and sea otters coexist, sea otters are thought to consume abalone in significant numbers (Watson 2000). A study investigating the impact of sea otters on H. rufescens (red abalone) in California reported that the effects of predators on abalone abundance were greater than the effects of recreational harvesting (Fanshawe et al. 2003).
The range of the sea otter historically encompassed the entire range of the pinto abalone (Fig. 5, panel A, in Supplementary Material). Over-exploitation throughout the Western Pacific rim at the end of the 18th century led to the extirpation of the sea otter in British Columbia, Washington, most of California, and much of Alaska (Wendell 1994, Watson 2000, Estes et al. 2001). Following translocations in California, and reintroductions in the 1970s in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and Southeast Alaska, the sea otter is rapidly re-establishing itself (Fig. 5, panel B, in Supplementary Material) (Watson 2000, Estes et al. 2001). This expansion will likely result in a decrease in pinto abalone populations (Watson 2000). In one location along the California coast, the reintroduction of sea otters to the region resulted in a 93% decline in local red abalone populations (Wendell 1994). Another study reported sea otter predation on red abalone had a larger effect on abalone densities than did recreational harvesting (Fanshawe et al. 2003).
Habitat and Ecological Shifts
With the localized nature of the abalone stock recruitment relations, pinto populations are very susceptible to development and habitat destruction (Toole et al. 2002). Furthermore, ecological shifts due to increased urchin densities may also play a factor in current pinto abalone recovery. Abalone growth may be restricted by the presence of sea urchins when food supplies are limited (Tegner and Levin 1982). Researchers in British Columbia monitoring the decline of pinto abalone at index sites, however, have not indicated that urchins are an immediate threat (Campbell et al. 1998, Cripps and Campbell 1998).
The large and continuing decline of H. cracherodii (black abalone) in California (Petrovic et al. 2001) is partly a result of Withering Syndrome, and has raised concerns that other species of abalone may also be in danger from contagious pathogens. Laboratory studies of the bacterium responsible for Withering Syndrome, Candidatus xenohaliotis californiensis, indicate that it is capable of infecting other species of abalone (Lafferty and Kuris 1993). Furthermore, the bacterium could be viable in the cooler waters found in Washington and British Columbia (Lafferty and Kuris 1993), especially with the potential for rising sea temperatures due to global warming. Nonetheless, it is important to note that to date there have been no recorded instances of Withering Syndrome in pinto abalone. Furthermore, Tegner (2000) implicated abalone culturing enterprises in the spread of pathogens in some cases. The potential for acting as a vector warrants attention in the event that pinto abalone transplantations are attempted in the core distribution.
|Conservation Actions:
There are currently a number of conservation actions underway on behalf of the pinto abalone. A summary of these initiatives is presented below, separated into initiatives underway in British Columbia, and those underway in the other regions of abalone distribution.
Conservation Action in British Columbia
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assessed the pinto abalone as a "threatened" species in 1999. All such designations in Canada require the drafting of a National Recovery Strategy (NRS), followed by the creation of a National Recovery Action Plan (NRAP) (SARA 2002). The recovery strategy was completed in 2002 (Toole et al. 2002), and the latest draft of the action plan was released in August 2003 (NRAP 2003). The NRAP set forth a number of initiatives grouped under four main categories: a proactive protection plan, a communications campaign, proposed research, and a population-rebuilding plan. The actions are aimed at protecting the remaining wild stock of pinto abalone, increasing public support, augmenting the wild population, conducting research, and monitoring the status of the pinto population. Support for the initiatives comes from federal, provincial, private sector, and community partnerships.
The measures included under the proactive protection plan revolve around the challenge of curtailing illegal harvest; poaching represents one of the largest threats to the species. Efforts involved with increasing the enforcement of current laws include augmenting the number of fishery officers, adding a canine unit to improve detection of illegally harvested abalone at key locations such as ferries and airports, and developing methods for genetically sampling the commercially traded abalone (NRAP 2003). In addition, the NRAP calls for instituting a market analysis to determine the full extent of the illegal pinto abalone trade. Developing a "Coast Watch" program under the lead of First Nations and coastal communities is a further effort to improve monitoring efforts in more remote areas.
The communications campaign is aimed at increasing public awareness of the decline of the pinto abalone, and the ongoing efforts to engineer its recovery. The NRAP called for the creation of a dedicated abalone home page to act as a clearinghouse for news and knowledge and the production of an anti-poaching poster (both completed as of 2004). Materials and education kits are intended for use in school education sessions, while a whole media relations campaign is designed to support the Coast Watch initiatives, and provide positive feedback for the enhanced enforcement actions (NRAP 2003).
Research and population rebuilding efforts are closely related parts of the NRAP. The research portion involves feasibility studies aimed at determining the best methods for abalone rebuilding projects, the specifics of pinto abalone recruitment, the actual risks posed by disease as well as the best means of prevention and control, and many other aspects of the biology, physiology and ecology of the pinto abalone that remain unknown or uncertain (NRAP 2003). The population rebuilding efforts are directed at three fronts in British Columbia: the aggregation of reproductive-aged wild adult pinto abalone, the out-planting of hatchery-reared juvenile abalone, and the small scale enhancement of abalone habitat with the aim of improving survivability of juveniles. To date, aggregation experiments have been performed in several locations; however, the results of these studies have yet to be published. Two organizations, the Bamfield Huu-y-aht Community Abalone Project (BHCAP) and the Malcolm Island Shellfish Cooperative (MISC) have both begun rearing pinto abalone. The BHCAP performed Canada's first out-planting in November of 2003, although to date, any results remain unpublished. MISC intended to perform out-plantings in November of 2003 as well, but the progress of the project remains unknown.
Monitoring projects are a vital component of any rebuilding effort. Along with continuing to survey the index sites in the Queen Charlotte Islands and the central coast of British Columbia, new baseline sites are proposed in regions across the provincial coastline to determine the effects any and all rebuilding efforts in the future.
Conservation Action in the other regions
In 1994, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife closed the pinto abalone fishery but did not initiate any conservation efforts. In 2004, the National Marine Fisheries Service listed the pinto abalone as a "Candidate Species" in the state of Washington for protection under the Endangered Species Act (NMFS 2004a). This designation, however, does not confer any procedural protections under the Endangered Species Act.
In California, after a series of closures of the various targeted abalone fisheries (of which pinto abalone did not play a significant role), fisheries managers enforced a moratorium on the taking, possessing and landing of all abalone species for commercial or recreational purposes south of San Francisco (CDFG 2003). The same bill, AB 663, mandated the creation of an Abalone Recovery Management Plan (ARMP). Pinto abalone are included in the ARMP only indirectly, as they are insufficient in numbers to support any form of targeted management or harvest (CDFG 2003). The recovery plan calls for a 7-year timeline starting in 2003 for implemented various activities and programs that focus on research, assessment and enforcement of regulations (CDFG 2003) that are similar in focus to those outlined in the British Columbia management and recovery plan.
Analysis of Current Conservation Efforts and Suggestions for New Efforts
Supplementation of abalone populations holds promise for accelerating the recovery of pinto abalone numbers. Reintroduction of hatchery-raised juveniles, however, has proved costly and ineffective in the past despite much effort and research (Davis et al. 1998, Tegner 2000). Additionally, there have been numerous examples of juvenile supplementation programs introducing pathogens into wild populations (reviewed in Tegner 2000). In consideration of these two issues, the current enthusiasm for hatchery-based supplementation in the British Columbian plan does not seem to be warranted. In contrast, experiments with transplantation of wild adult brood stock have had some success (Jamieson and Caddy 1986, Tegner 2000), and we recommend that resources be shifted towards this approach.
In the interests of providing sustainable incomes to the areas most affected by the decline of the pinto abalone, and in the interests of mitigating the impact of poaching upon remaining wild stocks, economic development alternatives should be sponsored in targeted regions. This activity should also be partnered with initiatives to promote community stewardship of remaining wild abalone as the distributed nature of the stock necessitates local support for any rebuilding projects. For this reason, "Coast Watch" and other initiatives that raise stakeholder awareness and participation are a step in the right direction.
Future Research
The collection of fisheries independent data for Alaska could provide a much clearer picture of the status of the pinto abalone. The creation of a number of index monitoring sites throughout the Alaskan range would provide a more realistic outlook of the abalone's status than merely relying on the data available from British Columbia. Furthermore, index sites could provide information as to how the Alaskan abalone populations were coping with the stresses of sea otter expansion, and the overall recovery of the south central Alaskan coast after the crisis of the Exxon Valdez in 1990.
Further investigations of stock-recruitment relationships are needed to identify a healthy and viable population composition as well as a better understanding of the specific pinto abalone age-length relationship. Many of these research topics, including research into the genetics of the pinto abalone are called for in the various recovery and management plans (Toole et al. 2002, CDFG 2003, NRAP 2003). This information would be useful for scientists to estimate if a local cluster can sustain itself, and if not, to promote further action. This research would also aid fishery managers in setting reliable size quotas if the fishery re-opens. In addition, these studies could gather data about the ability of abalone to re-aggregate after exploitation.
Finally, the capability of Withering Syndrome to infect and spread in pinto abalone populations requires further investigation. Pinto abalone culturing and adult transplantation projects would be efficient vectors to spread the disease into wild populations; such was the case in black abalone populations (Petrovic et al. 2001).
|McDougall, P.T., Ploss, J. & Tuthill, J. 2006. Haliotis kamtschatkana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2006: e.T61743A12552981. . Downloaded on 19 August 2018.
|To make use of this information, please check the <Terms of Use>.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Stone Gossard (guitar), Jeff Ament (bass), Mike McCready (guitar), and Eddie Vedder (vocals). The band's fifth and current drummer is Matt Cameron, of Soundgarden, who has been with the band since 1998. Formed after the demise of Gossard and Ament's previous band, Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream with its debut album, Ten, in 1991. Read more about Pearl Jam on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.


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The "Cobra Spotlight" is a weekly highlight of a student-athlete at Coker College. Each week we take a different athlete from a different sport and display some facets to get more familiar with them. This week we take a look at Steven Marciano, a member of the men's lacrosse team.
Name: Steven Marciano
Sport: Lacrosse
Position: Attack
Hometown: Shirley, NY
Year: Senior
Major: Business Administration with a minor in International Studies.
Why did you choose Coker? The reason I choose Coker was because of the size of the college, and the opportunity to be part of the first-ever lacrosse program.
What is your best memory at Coker (athletic related)? Winning the first-ever lacrosse game, and scoring the first goal in program history.
What is your best memory at Coker (non-athletic related)? Coker giving me the opportunity to study abroad in Brazil for a semester.
Favorite class: I don't have one specific favorite. I like anything business related.
Favorite professor: Don Mac!
Plans after graduation: After graduation I plan to return to South America, and go back-packing for a month or two before getting started on grad school.
Favorite movie: Cidade de Deus (City of God)
Favorite type of music: I don't have one favorite type of music; I am pretty eclectic when it comes to music.
Favorite food: Pasta and sauce, or anything Italian.
Favorite professional sports team: NY Rangers, Knicks, Giants and the Yankees.
Favorite color: Would have to be blue.
Favorite TV show: My favorite TV show of all time is The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
What is something people may not know about you? I used to play the cello throughout high school.


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No. 7 Duke wins season finale
Spillane scores career high three goals to lead Blue Devils
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-- Senior Sam Spillane registered a career-high three goals to lead the seventh-ranked Blue Devils to a 10-6 victory at Jacksonville in the regular-season finale. Sophomore goaltender Dan Wigrizer anchored the defense with 14 saves. The six goals are the second-fewest Duke has allowed this season.
Duke closes out the regular season with a 12-5 overall record, marking the sixth consecutive season the Blue Devils have garnered at least 12 victories. Duke now will await word on a berth in the NCAA Tournament with the bracket announcement set for May 8.
Josh Offit netted a pair of goals for Duke and five other Blue Devils all had one goal. Freshman Jordan Wolf finished one goal and two assists for three points. The Dolphins had six different goal scorers and Cameron Mann led Jacksonville in points with two assists.
After falling behind 1-0 in the early part of the first quarter, Duke scored seven unanswered over 25:43 for a 7-1 advantage early in the third quarter.
Neither team was able to capitalize on early opportunities as the game was scoreless through the first five minutes. Jacksonville (5-9) got on the board first at the 9:05 mark with an unassisted tally from David Goldman.
The Blue Devils wasted little time in evening score as sophomore David Lawson connected 49 seconds later to make it a 1-1 game. Wolf provided the assist. That goal sparked the 7-0 run as sophomore Josh Offit and Spillane got in on the action and put the Blue Devils in front 3-1 after 15 minutes of action.
Behind Duke's success at the faceoff X, the Blue Devils continued to control time of possession in the second frame. Offit netted his second goal of the contest to start the second period, while Tom Rynn and Wolf both picked up goals that sent Duke into halftime with a 6-1 lead.
Wigrizer had eight saves in the first half as Duke held the Dolphins to just one goal for the final 21:55 of the first half. Jacksonville managed just four shots in the second quarter and won one faceoff.
The third quarter continued to go in Duke's favor with the Blue Devils starting the frame with a goal from Spillane for a 7-1 lead. Jacksonville responded with consecutive tallies to stop its scoreless streak at 26:48 and make it a four-goal game, 7-3.
Holding a five-goal advantage heading into the final quarter, Duke had its lead cut to three after the Dolphins finished back-to-back goals midway through the stanza. The Blue Devil defense held off Jacksonville's attempt at a late comeback and Spillane added one more goal to ice the four-goal win for the Blue Devils.
Duke outshot Jacksonville 46-42 and won the ground ball battle 48-42. The Blue Devils won 12-of-19 restarts with Brendan Fowler winning 6-of-10. Greg DeLuca and Christian Walsh both led the way with five ground balls for Duke. Jacksonville goaltender Peter DeLuca had an outstanding afternoon with 20 saves on 30 shots on goal.


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Modern day photography has gone completely digital. From the time the shutter is pressed to the final image coming out of the printer, every aspect of picture taking is done in the camera and on a computer. When hiring a professional photographer to take your family portraits here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to getting proper prints.
When choosing a photographer to take your next set of family photos be sure to take the time to research their printing process. Anyone can go to a big department store to get photos printed now that everything is digital, but that does not mean that you will receive the best quality for the money most photographers will charge.
A true professional photographer will have a specialized print lab that they send all of their jobs to so that the prints that you receive will be constant and guaranteed. Some photographers will have their own in studio printer to cut out the middle man and that is completely acceptable as long as the prints are done on quality surface with proper ink.
When choosing your prints having them on line is the fastest and easiest way to pick through the best shots. Most photographers will upload all of the shots taken on your photo shoot on a site that has a secure login and password so that no one can see your photos but you (and the photographer!) When logged on to the site you will be able to go through and choose the discussed number of photos you will be able to have printed and sometimes you can choose sizes as well.
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Harry jokes with old Gurkha comrades at Nepali embassy ceremony
Prince Harry has joked with old Army friends and praised the "unbreakable spirit and resilience" of the Nepali people at a ceremony to celebrate 200 years of co-operation between the UK and the tiny Himalayan country.
He was given a garland of flowers at the event at the Nepali embassy in London marking the end of celebrations for the milestone.
After unveiling photographs of the 13 Gurkha soldiers who have received the Victoria Cross, he chatted and joked with comrades he met when he was attached to the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles in Afghanistan for three months in 2007/08.
Rifleman Vinod Budhathoki, 32, who lost both his legs in an accident in May 2010, remembered Harry as very down to earth during his tour with B Company.
Mr Budhathoki, who also met Harry when he competed in the Invictus Games three years ago, said: "He just never let us feel like he was from the Royal Family. We just treated him as a normal officer. He was so nice, and just made us work quite easy with him."
Corporal Hari Budha Magar, 37, said Harry had joked "stop following me" after they met last week as he and the Prince of Wales presented Afghanistan operational medals to Gurkhas at Buckingham Palace.
Cpl Magar, from Kent, who lost both his legs above the knee in 2010, told Harry about his attempt next year to become the first double amputee to scale Mount Everest.
Prince Harry meets 37-year-old Corporal Hair Budha Magar, left, and Rifleman Vinod Budhathoki, two Gurkhas who he served with in Afghanistan at the Embassy of Nepal
He said: "I am training at the moment in Nepal and Scotland, and he said, 'All the best for it'."
The event was held to mark the signing of the Treaty of Segauli in March 1816, which established formal relations between Nepal and the UK.
The event comes one year after Harry made his first trip to Nepal - a visit which coincided with the bicentenary of the signing of the Treaty of Segauli in March 1816
Harry was presented with a traditional Nepali khukuri knife, before watching cultural performances and a knife dance by Gurkha soldiers.
In a speech to dignitaries, he described Nepal as a "captivating country", adding: "It is no exaggeration to say that the people of Nepal, and the Gurkhas in particular, hold a very special place in the heart of the British public and in my family."
Harry travelled to Nepal last year to visit areas ravaged by the 2015 earthquake, and he lauded the way they the country has dealt with the devastation.
Prince Harry exchanges a namaste greeting as he arrives for the ceremony at the Embassy of Nepal in London
He said: "I saw first-hand the unbreakable spirit and resilience of the Nepali people as they set about it. I hope you and they can continue to draw comfort from the fact the British people stand with you on that journey."
He spoke of his admiration and gratitude for the Gurkhas, who have served alongside British forces for more than 200 years – a brigade Harry previously said he wanted to join.
The prince said: "Your courage, selfless dedication and professionalism are legendary; but your warmth and hospitality in welcoming me as a fellow soldier and friend means a great deal to me personally - even though certain people took great enjoyment from watching me sweat in freezing temperatures in Afghanistan while trying to get through a very spicy goat curry."
Nepali ambassador Dr Durga Bahadur Subedi said: "Your love, affection and goodwill towards the Nepalese people are assets for us to cherish. The United Kingdom occupies a very special place in the hearts of the Nepalese people."
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Jeffers High School: CAP Success Story
Jeffers High School, in the Adams Township School District, was one of the Mackinac Center's top-ranked high schools in 2012. Jeffers received an 'A' on the High School Context and Performance report card, and was the 15th highest-scoring high school in the state.
The Center's report card provides an apples-to-apples comparison of school performance by taking into account students' socioeconomic background. This was accomplished by adjusting test score data by the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
"We are in the student business," said Tim Keteri, Adams superintendent and Jeffers High School principal. "And when we forget that ... when you forget why you're here, that's when you fall off the map."
The first class to graduate from Jeffers High School graduated in 1910. Jan Maierle, a retired administrator and teacher, said that the community's traditional values — including dedication and hard work — contribute greatly to the high school's success.


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Granger family
|Family heritage
|Blood status
|Notable family members
Extant at least in female line
|Related families
Granger is the surname of a Muggle family, although they have some wizarding blood, as Hermione Granger is a witch. Her parents, both dentists, are accepting of the wizarding world and proud of her accomplishments.[1] In 1997, Hermione modified their memories so that they believed they were Wendell and Monica Wilkins and moved to Australia in order to protect them from Death Eaters.[2] After the Second Wizarding War ended, she found them and reversed the charm.
The Grangers are related by marriage to the wizarding Weasley, Prewett, Potter, Black, Delacour, and Johnson families.[3]
Mr and Mrs Granger's familyEdit
- Mr Granger — A Muggle dentist, father of Hermione Granger.
- Mrs Granger — A Muggle dentist, mother of Hermione Granger.
- Hermione Granger — The only child and a muggle-born witch who works for the Ministry of Magic and is married to Ron Weasley. They have two children, Rose and Hugo.
- Hector Dagworth-Granger (possibly) — A wizard who has a Squib relative who could possibly be the ancestor of Hermione Granger.
Family treeEdit
|Granger family
|Mr. Granger
|Mrs. Granger
|Weasley family
|Hermione Granger
(b. 1979)
|Ronald Weasley
(b. 1980)
|Rose Weasley
(b. c.2006)
|Hugo Weasley
(b. c. 2008)
The surname Granger is derived from grange, a term for a barn or farm with buildings that store grain, thus 'granger' is a term for a farm bailiff. Also, "Granger" is a term for a member of the Grange Movement of the United States, which involved agricultural activism in the nineteenth century, possibly alluding to Hermione Granger's activism on behalf of house-elves.
Behind the scenesEdit
- J. K. Rowling has revealed that at one time, she had planned for Hermione to have a younger sister[4]. This sister was going to be a Muggle[5].
- It is possible that the Granger family are related to Hector Dagworth-Granger seeing as all muggle-borns have a trace of wizarding ancestry.
- J. K. Rowling has also revealed that in her earliest draft of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone the Granger family lived on the shore from the Potter family (who lived on an island) and it would be Mr. Granger that would notice an explosion on the island and sail to it and pick up baby Harry Potter.[6]
- In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Arthur Weasley is seen talking to Hermione's parents. While the line is quite soft, Mr. Weasley comments "I understand other Muggles are quite afraid of you." Since Hermione's parents are both dentists, this comment refers to that common Muggle phobia.
- The Granger family is very similar to the Evans family. Originally a muggle family, until a female member (Hermione and Lily Evans) became a muggle-born witch. The witch married a pure-blood man, (Ron Weasley and James Potter I) and have children, one of them a son (Rose and Hugo Weasley, Harry Potter).
- In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Mr. and Mrs. Granger are played by Tom Knight and Heather Bleasdale, respectively.
- In the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Mrs. Granger is played by Michelle Fairley, and Mr. Granger is played by Ian Kelly.
- Even though Hermione is a main character, her family wasn't explored like Harry's and Ron's. Rowling stated that this was because Hermione's parents were too boring to go into detail about.[citation needed]


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This article, entitled "Mother's Intuition Not Quite Right," comes from Heather King, MomsEveryday blogger from Eastern Carolina.
It's always humbling when you take your child to the doctor thinking you know what's wrong with them, but you find out, you're wrong.
WARNING: this blog entry might have TMI (too much information) for some readers.
A trip to the pediatrician can always be a humbling experience. A parent obviously makes an appointment when they think their child is sick or suffering from something they think a doctor can help with. It's always humbling to get to the office and find out what you thought was wrong, isn't.
I took both my girls to the doctor this week (and no, you don't get a break on the co-pay when you bring them together). I thought Kate (the baby) might have an ear infection and wanted a check on Lauren (the three year old) as well, since there was a faint, funny scent coming from one of her ears.
The kind pediatrician started with Lauren and her somewhat smelly ear. No ear infection in there, but there was a pretty developed infection in the other ear--the one I had previously had no concern about. Her tube in the infected ear had fallen out, which is what they tend to do, and her ear quickly developed an infection, while the other, tube in tact, had some drainage that just happened to stink a little. So, ear drops for one ear and an oral antibiotic for the other, and the toddler was good to go.
The doc moved on to Kate, who I was pretty sure had an ear infection in her right ear. Why else would she be playing it with it so much and refusing to eat in a position where her right ear would be down? Again, what I thought was wrong wasn't. Granted, I'm thrilled that Kate doesn't have an ear infection. However, I learned she does have a virus, and that's what was causing her poop to be green. In case you missed it, that was the "too much information" part, although the aforementioned smelly ear might also qualify for that category. On side but somewhat related note, a nurse shared with me the only time to worry about the color of poop is when it's bright red or jet black. Green? No problem. Purple? The child probably ate a crayon.
But I digress.
So, why was Kate playing with her ear? The pediatrician kindly told me that babies at Kate's age are getting more coordinated and want to exercise that coordination, even if it's just messing with their ear.
It's not the first time I've gone to see the pediatrician thinking one thing was wrong and finding out there was something else, or nothing at all. Parenting is humbling all the time!


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Last month I wrote about how economic issues like the minimum wage were twisting Republican candidates into pretzels as they tried to make it look like they cared about the economic squeeze on American families while toeing the line on free-market orthodoxy. As I said at the time:
Romney, clearly aware that he needs to support some policies that show him sympathetic to struggling families, has broken with free-market orthodoxy by supporting indexing the minimum wage to inflation. For this he was loudly attacked by Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and Rush Limbaugh, among others. Andrew McCarthy's post in the National Review captured the mood with the headline, "See Mitt Pander."
It turns out Mitt couldn't take the heat from his right yet again (which makes you wonder how he'd deal with the pressures of actually being president). This week he got back in line with right-wing economic theology, telling CNBC's Larry Kudlow "there's probably not a need to raise the minimum wage." Even in reversing his position he can't help throwing in a waffle: "probably."
In the same interview, Romney told Kudlow that "people are hurting; they want someone who can see rising incomes, rising jobs, and a bright future for their kids." Unless, it appears, those people are working full-time at minimum wage and still don't make enough to rise above the poverty level.
Maybe the problem is that full-time workers are not "the very poor" who Romney isn't "concerned about." He told us, "We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it." So I guess since minimum wage workers are just poor, not the very poor, Romney doesn't think they need help.
As Romney knows, it's easy to go after the very poor, who are demonized as dependent on government hand-outs in code for racist politics. But there is overwhelming support for people who are working hard and still barely able to feed their families. Even if most people make well above the minimum wage, they still feel the economic crush of stagnant wages, disappearing benefits, and job insecurity.
You can just see the Obama campaign lampooning Romney for pretending he understands that "people are hurting" while opposing raising the minimum wage, after he was for it. It's a perfect combination of Romney the rich guy who doesn't get it, Romney the captive of the right wing, and Romney the flip-flopper.
But beneath the political vulnerability is a deeper truth that Obama and progressives more broadly need to drive home this year. When Republicans preach smaller government, less regulation, and defending business as job creators, they are sentencing families to a future that is the opposite of what Romney told Kudlow he wants. It's a future of shrinking incomes, disappearing jobs, and a darker future for our children.
We don't need smaller government; we need government that works for working people, not the ultra-rich. We don't need less regulation; we need rules that assure that working families can live in dignity. It's not businesses that are the job creators. It's people who go to work every day, who shop on Main Street, who are the business creators. And that includes people who work their butts off every day at the minimum wage.
Cross-posted from New Deal 2.0.


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Time to put on our bitchy pants and say shitty things about the Oscars and everyone nominated for the Oscars. Now, according to Entertainment Weekly, this year's Oscars will be "song-and-dance heavy," which is arguably the most terrifying thing I have ever read. The Grammys were two weeks ago. That is the show where singing and dancing are appropriate. When singing and dancing happen at the Oscars, you get this. Who asked for more musical bullshit at the Oscars this year? Was it you? If it was you, I'll piss in your soup.
All of this will presided over by Seth MacFarlane, who's so hip with the kids these days and will surely get ABC the two percent bump in male 18-24 viewership that they so desperately covet. And I think you and I can agree that, when it comes to hosting a year-end musical revue of serious films, there's no better choice than a man who has limited experience in live performance and once recorded this album, and did so without a trace of irony. Viewers at home are counting on MacFarlane to make two or three OUTRAGEOUS jokes about the nominees that will leave the audience in stunned silence because the audience at the Oscars is filled with the most easily offended human beings on planet Earth. It's like the Gawker comment section brought to life. Apart from that, Sunday night's show will be SINGING and DANCING all the time! Musical tributes to musicals! Musical tributes to Ernest Borgnine! A star-studded musical tribute to the work of David Lean! IT'S EVERYTHING YOU WANTED THE OSCARS NOT TO BE!
Anyway, let's get on with Oscar Night, aka the one night a year on which I become a diehard Republican. Please note that spoilers abound.
Best Picture
Argo: I think I've had enough of America feeling sorry for Ben Affleck just because he didn't get nominated for a stupid award. He produced the thing. He still gets an Oscar if it wins this category anyway. Let's not labor feverishly to make Ben Affleck some kind of amazing comeback story. You know what the supposed "low point" of Ben Affleck's career was? WHEN HE WAS BANGING JENNIFER LOPEZ AND MAKING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO STAR IN BAD MOVIES. That was his rock bottom. Oh wow, real fucking hard luck for that guy. How did he find the strength to climb out of that hole? Way to rise from the ashes there, fella. I don't know how you managed. Quick, everyone! Let's all praise Ben for putting down the J-Lo ass-tanning oil and not making terrible script choices! WHAT A COMEBACK. I'm in awe. You want a comeback story? Jackie Earle Haley. That's a comeback story.
Oh, and look! Affleck is gonna make another Boston crime movie. Way to expand the repertoire. I hope that this one ALSO manages to rip off Heat and The Friends of Eddie Coyle simultaneously. That Affleck is a SERIOUS director now! Let's all collectively be astonished, for months on end, that an actor can direct stuff even though actors direct shit all the time.
I'm also very excited for Best Picture to go to yet another movie about making movies. Because I never feel like movies get enough appreciation, you know? We barely pay attention to movies these days. Meanwhile, they're quietly liberating our hostages and saving depressed French actors from suicide. And they ask for NOTHING in return! About time the Academy gave the filmmaking process the vigorous anal tonguing it deserves.
Silver Linings Playbook: You and I both know that if Lasse Hallstrom had directed this thing, it would have been the shittiest, most predictable romantic comedy ever created. "What happens when a bi-polar guy meets a bi-polar gal? And they have to join forces to win a local dance competition to win a bet for a grumpy Robert De Niro? Sparks will fly this summer when Katherine Heigl and Justin Long are ... DANCIN' FOR DADDY-O."
And hey, why did Bradley Cooper wait a whole goddamn week to give Jennifer Lawrence the letter? No man, sane or not, waits a week to tell Jennifer Lawrence he loves her. I told her I loved her 60 times last week alone. I whispered into my pillow, "Oh Jennifer, you are so young but so very ripe. I LOVE YOU AND I MUST HAVE YOU." That's just a given with Jennifer Lawrence.
I also object to any film that pre-supposes that DeSean Jackson is a useful NFL player.
Lincoln: BOOOOOOOOORING. Boring boring boring. Lincoln is so boring that there are characters on the screen who literally talk about how boring Lincoln is.
SOLDIER: Mr. President! The Confederate generals are coming to offer us a peace agreement! What do we do? They need the answer in three minutes!
LINCOLN: Well, let me answer that question by first telling you a fable about Old Farmer Higgins's apple tree ...
SOLDIER: Oh sweet Jesus, GET TO THE POINT, MAN!
Les Miserables: And here's the reason you're getting all the song-and-dance bullshit at the Oscars on Sunday night. One stupid, shitty musical that most people didn't even like, and suddenly the Oscars have to morph into the Tony Awards. I blame YOU, Les Miz, for likely dominating a broadcast simply because you have a handful of songs to toss into the mix. It's like a few years ago when Frida won all the makeup and costume awards and somehow the first hour of the Oscars became a Frida tribute special. No one asked for that shit.
Also, Amanda Seyfried has enormous eyeballs. They're terrifying. STOP TRYING TO HARVEST MY SOUL.
Life of Pi: Oh hey, it's the movie for people who are "spiritual" but don't have the balls to actually pick a religion. By the way, in real life, the tiger eats the kid. It's not even a question. No one manages to co-exist with a tiger on a lifeboat. That's complete horseshit. I did not see this movie.
Beasts of the Southern Wild: GUMBO GUMBO GUMBO GUMBO ADORABLE CHILD ACTOR GUMBO GUMBO PO' BOY GUMBO. It's not enough that people from Louisiana think they have shitloads more culture and pride and charming eccentricities than you. No, no, now they're all MAGIC. Enough.
Zero Dark Thirty: They didn't call out "Usama" before they shot him! That part of the movie is a complete lie. THROW IT ALL AWAY. I demand all of my Hollywood feature films to adhere slavishly to real life, including real-time bathroom breaks and sleeping hours. And why wasn't Maya ever shown going through Pakistani customs? You have a lot of questions to answer, Kathryn Bigelow.
Django Unchained: Thank God Hollywood finally had the courage to tackle the issue of slavery by handing it over to a lily-white film geek who fetishizes saying the word "nigger" as many times as he can possibly get away with. I knew kids from L.A. like this at summer camp. They thought saying that word was the coolest thing ever. One of them was a guy named Macy. People from Los Angeles are terrible.
Amour: Hey everyone, I've got a great movie for you! It's about two old French people in an apartment, and one of them DIES. Doesn't that sound fun? This is the perfect movie-critic movie. Roger Ebert once said that, "No good movie is depressing, all bad movies are depressing." BULLSHIT. Complete bullshit. I saw Kids, buddy. It's a good movie, but I'd rather have that Casper guy fuck me in my sleep than watch it again. No, thank you. Movie critics are always like, "You can have your car chases and fighting robots. To me, there's no greater suspense than watching Emmanuelle Riva wither before my very eyes!" I asked my mom, who is in her late 60s, if she wanted to see this movie and she was like, "Are you out of your mind? Why would I want to see that?" Whoa hey, you don't want to see a terrifying vision of your possible near-future death? I guess there's just no accounting for taste.
Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis: I think we should all agree that only Daniel Day-Lewis should be allowed to do the whole "act like your character all the time" thing that Daniel Day-Lewis does. Day-Lewis can do this and get away with it because he's the finest actor of his generation. When your cousin Jenny does it because she's in a dinner theater production of Shear Madness, it's a jailable offense. Method actors must be killed on sight, lest other terrible actors see them ordering at Arby's in their best Thomas Jefferson voice and decide that's the only way they can really get into a character. This is what you've wrought, DDL. Thousands upon thousands of Willy Lomans walking around, annoying the shit out of their families and friends.
Joaquin Phoenix: Someone made the joke that Phoenix should have been nominated for "Most Acting," which is so perfect. You don't deserve an Oscar just because you clenched your jaw and threw on a hunchback disguise kit.
Also, way to be daring and label the Oscars as "bullshit," Joaquin. I totally wouldn't have known that if you hadn't been the one brave, way hip soul to openly degrade an award you secretly yearn to win. I liked it better when you were being a fake crazy person instead of an actual dipshit.
Denzel Washington: Congratulations to Denzel Washington for playing the character of "Denzel Washington" for the 32nd film in a row. It must have been a real stretch for you to play a weary veteran pilot/cop/train engineer/gangster/football coach who finally learns that he needs to stop being so gosh darn stubborn. I couldn't even tell it was you! KUDOS.
By the way, there needs to be some kind of special anti-Oscar (not a Razzie because those are dumb) for the music choices in Flight. Oh hey, the drug dealer is coming! Better play "Sympathy for the Devil!" And here's a girl ODing on heroin! Now is the best time to use both "Sweet Jane" AND "Under the Bridge!" I like the way the songs telegraph every possible emotion. I wish they had played "Kiss Me" during the part where Denzel and that girl kissed.
Hugh Jackman: This isn't a nomination for playing Wolverine? That's stupid. I have no use for Hugh Jackman in non-Wolverine roles. Give Jackman a chance to play someone else and you know what you get? Australia. No one cares.
Bradley Cooper: Looks like someone figured out that the key to scoring an Oscar nom is to play a mentally disturbed (but still attractive) person and surround yourself with a top-notch cast and a top-notch director to hide your glaring acting deficiencies. So I'll give Cooper credit for managing to make himself look like a competent actor despite having the most punchable face in movies today.
By the way, this doesn't apply to Cooper alone, but I remain amazed at how much attention actors receive in relation to how uninteresting they actually are. Actors are profoundly inane human beings. Most of them didn't even bother to finish high school. And most actors like playing other people because they have no personality to call their own. They're all relatively disposable people who feel compelled to either inflate the importance of their precious craft or to expand into other aspects of filmmaking like writing and directing because they want people to think they aren't dumb as bricks. Actors are worthless. But anyway, GOOD LUCK, BRADLEY!
Best Actress
Jessica Chastain: Someone is taking wayyyy too much credit for killing this bin Laden fellow. "I'm the motherfucker who found this place." O RLY, Maya? Because it looked to me like it was one of your field operatives who risked life and limb to case that joint in Abbottabad. "I'm gonna smoke everyone involved in this operation and then I'm gonna kill bin Laden." Excuse me? I didn't see you storming the compound. You just sat on your candy ass at Bagram Airfield and let the SEALS do your dirty work for you! And I didn't see you waterboard ANYONE! You're no team player, Missy!
Emmanuelle Riva: This is SO not the Emmanuelle I had in mind. Sylvia Kristel died this fall. She's the REAL Emmanuelle. Where's HER Oscar? Let's see this Riva lady give prepubescent boys in 1986 a raging hardon on Cinemax Free Preview weekend the way Sylvia did. That Kristel was a trailblazer.
Also, how hard can it be for an 85-year-old woman to play someone who's dying? It's gotta be like second nature to this woman. I'm not that impressed. Play Tina Turner and then you're showing me something, lady.
(SIDE NOTE: Riva's birthday is Sunday night. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MADAM!)
Quavsdlkfsgklsghsrklergdfivfddflkfjgdf Wallis: Obviously, we can't poke fun at such an adorable little sprite who's just elated to be part of the festivities. I think it's wonderful how she doesn't yet realize that Hollywood is a soulless places where people's dreams are regularly beaten down and then sold into sexual slavery. I find that kind of naiveté refreshing.
I will say this, though: I hope she doesn't win. Frankly, I wish she hadn't even been nominated. Nothing good can possibly come from putting a very small child in such a prominent position. Ask the Slumdog Millionaire kids currently working an East Kolkata sump pump if all that attention did them any good. I'd rather have my kid work at Bill Conlin's summer home than work in the film industry.
Naomi Watts: She's the actress you call when Nicole Kidman asks for too much money, right? I just figured that was common knowledge.
Jennifer Lawrence: I'm not gonna say anything bad about Jennifer Lawrence and you won't either because if you do I will find you and I will END you. I think we can all agree that Jennifer Lawrence is a celestial sex-cherub sent down to Earth by Our Loving Creator to end all wars and have all our babies. Her delicate mouth, husky voice, and supple thighs foretell it. I WILL WAIT FOR YOU, JEN. I WILL ALWAYS BE HERE WAITING FOR YOU, NO MATTER THE COST.
Best Supporting Actor
Tommy Lee Jones: What on earth do you have to be so grumpy about, asshole? "Oh, I was Al Gore's roommate at Harvard and now I'm one of the most respected actors in the world. GRRR I'M SO GRUMPY GRRR." Get over yourself. No one forced you to be part of the world's most vacuous profession, so don't be surprised when an entertainment reporter dares to ask you a question that you don't find intellectually challenging. Any time someone says that you "don't mince words" or that you "get right to the point," that means you're a complete dickhead.
By the way, I like the reveal at the end of Lincoln that Thaddeus Stevens was fighting hard for abolition all because he was shtupping his house-mistress. Way to suck all the nobility out of him at the last second, gang.
Robert De Niro: Why are we supposed to be impressed that Robert De Niro decided to not mail it in for the first time in 15 years? You shouldn't get an award for finally doing your goddamn job. He wasn't even that good. He was still playing Robert De Niro. It's not like he was playing Malcolm X. Half of his lines consisted of, "The fuck is wrong with you?"
Alan Arkin: Are you a respected elderly actor who gets all the good and dirty lines in an otherwise serious movie? OSCAR NOD FOR YOU. Bonus Oscar points if you're playing someone IN the film business. Voters love that. "Oh hey, he's an asshole who works in show business! I can totally relate to him!"
Christoph Waltz: This is what happens when Christoph Waltz appears in a movie that is NOT directed by Quentin Tarantino:
They should just nominate Tarantino for the acting award. He's using Waltz as his own personal motion-capture suit.
Philip Seymour Hoffman: It's hard to judge an acting performance when it's contained within a movie that doesn't make any goddamn sense. I'm sure Paul Thomas Anderson was like, "Hey Philip and Joaquin! We're gonna take you out to the desert and you're gonna race motorcycles for a completely unnecessary 10-minute sequence. DO WHATEVER YOU WANT! PRETEND YOU'RE A BANANA! I have final cut now so I can just throw whatever idea I want into this picture!"
That movie was ass.
Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway: Ah, here we are. Anne Hathaway: The Valedictorian of Actressing. Not since Hilary Swank have we been subjected to such a long string of soulless, coldly professional acceptance speeches. It's like watching a LinkedIn profile talk.
And I resent that Hathaway is considered an automatic lock for this award. This is why the Oscars suck now. The event is so overcovered that when Hathaway's movie comes out, the entertainment press collectively goes, "She's a lock to win!" and then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The media don't predict these awards anymore. They DICTATE them. That's why the show has been virtually devoid of any real surprises for years now. Frontrunners are given a head start, and if they lose momentum, the media christen a new frontrunner far enough in advance that the new frontrunner's eventual victory is no surprise at all. It's complete horseshit. It's like 5,000 Chris Bermans all tipping the same draft pick.
Helen Hunt: Hey, I heard she's naked in this movie ...
/does quick Bing image search, since Google image search is so uptight now
OH WOW SHE GIVES UP THE BUSH AND EVERYTHING. That's good acting. I have no quarrel with Helen Hunt. Except for that Oscar she won for As Good As It Gets. I mean, come on. I barely remember that movie, let alone that she was in it.
Jacki Weaver: Well, she's obviously not winning. I know she's a great actress, but I don't think she had more than six lines in that entire movie. All she did was stand there with her mouth open while Robert De Niro yelled at Bradley Cooper. She's no Jen Lawrence. What if Jen Lawrence and Kate Middleton made love? I think the world would end if that happened, but in a good way. That would be a natural, fitting conclusion to history.
Amy Adams: Wait, was she the one in Wedding Crashers? I'm so confused. There are redheads giving handjobs in EVERY movie now. How do you expect me to keep track of these things?
By the way, my kid likes the movie Enchanted, which features Adams singing this song:
Thanks for putting that in my head for three years, Amy Adams. Can't wait for Seth MacFarlane and you to do a duet of it!
Sally Field: Hey, she should just be happy they let her in the movie. She's been on shitty TV shows and hawking bone pills for the past seven decades. Besides, she REALLY should have won this award for Soapdish:
It still holds up, that one. I'm not even being sarcastic.
The Other Categories
No one cares. That's the irreversible flaw of the Oscars. You're wasting three-plus hours to get to a grand total of roughly four minutes of meaningful action. Even football doesn't have that poor of a ratio. The Oscars are pointless and stupid.
On that note, join me here Sunday night as I live blog ... THE OSCARS! I couldn't be more excited.


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At the annual Google I/O developer conference in June, Google announced a raft of new initiatives and technologies for Android. The most exciting pieces for us here at NVIDIA DevZone were:
- The Android L release will support 64 bit processors using ARMv8.
- NVIDIA working with Epic Games and Google to create "Rivalry" to show off the new Android Extension Pack to OpenGL ES 3.1 and the NVIDIA Tegra K1 being the first GPU to support AEP.
- The amazing reception of the Tegra K1 powered Project Tango tablet.
- The launch of Android TV and the ADT-1 developer platform.
What a day!
Android TV in particular is great for gamers and game developers. Over the last year or so, we've seen the rise of micro-consoles but app compatibility has been tricky. With this launch, Google clearly defines what is needed to run games and apps on the TV and provide an excellent user experience.
To help developers get their games and apps ready for Android TV, we've put together the Android TV Developer Guide. Head over to learn development considerations, what to look out for with the Leanback Library, and how to use NVIDIA's suite of developer tools to make your entry to the world of Android TV as quick and easy as possible.


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Lucille Yates Martin
Lucille Yates Martin passed away Friday, Jan. 13, 2012, in an Abilene hospital. A visitation will be Sunday, Jan. 15, at McCoy Funeral Home from 4-6 p.m. A private family graveside service will be at 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 16, at the Garden of Memories in Sweetwater, Texas. A memorial service will follow at 11 a.m. at Lamar Street Baptist Church with Reverend Jerry Payne and Reverend Keith Clifton officiating. Services will be under the direction of McCoy Funeral Home.Lucille was born in Coleman, Texas, to J.R. and Joda Yates on June 18, 1922. She was married to J.V. (Buster) Martin, Sr. on Feb. 10, 1940. They lived in West Texas and Eastern New Mexico until moving to Sweetwater in 1952 where she lived for 60 years.She loved the Lord Jesus Christ, her family, and her friends. Lucille had been a member of Lamar Street Baptist Church in Sweetwater for 60 years, and had served as church hostess for 40 years.She was very talented in all types of arts and crafts and continued to make wooden crosses for her family and friends up to the time of her death.She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; a brother, Mitchell Lee Yates; and a grandson, Sammy Lambert.Survivors include a daughter, Sue Lambert and husband Raymond; a son, J.V. Martin, Jr. and wife Betty; five grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren; and a brother, J.R. Yates of Lovington, New Mexico.The family would like to thank Dr. Robert Striegler, her primary care physician and also Julia Rodriguez, her friend and helper.Memorials may be sent to Camp Courage c/o of Hendrick Hospice Care, 1682 Hickory Abilene, Texas 79601, or the Lamar Street Baptist Church food ministry 513 Lamar Street, Sweetwater, Texas 79556Online condolences may be expressed at www.mccoyfh.com.


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Thanks to Carl Icahn, Lionsgate toppers Jon Feltheimer and Michael Burns find themselves in the spotlight these days — an unaccustomed position for the duo, even after a decade of heading the mini-major.
In recent weeks they have seen their feud with billionaire investor Carl Icahn turn increasingly bitter and public, in large part because of their strategy to grow their business — which has been plagued by a stagnant stock price that's barely half of its 2007 high. Icahn, who launched a hostile bid for the company two weeks ago, appears determined to tap into shareholder disappointment to seize control and oust the two, though it's highly unlikely to happen unless he significantly boosts his bid.
But Feltheimer and Burns, accused by Icahn of "swinging for the fences" and on course to bankrupt Lionsgate, are more likely to be seen by industry insiders as minimal risk takers rather than anxious to wade into deep water. The two have received generally high marks from Wall Street and some of its major shareholders, particularly for diversifying the company.
"Feltheimer and Burns have done a good job of taking the company forward," said David Miller of Caris & Co. "Even though Lionsgate in known as a movie company and library play, what they really do well is TV, which they've absolutely clocked in the last five years. They're outstanding TV producers."
Feltheimer and Burns offer contrasting styles. Feltheimer, the co-chairman and CEO, still carries traces of a Brooklyn accent and is often described as a bottom-line realist; Burns, who's vice chairman, blends his buttoned-down roots as an investment banker with a creative bent.
Though the Lionsgate duo are not absent from Hollywood events, they tend to attract little attention compared to moguls such as Disney's Robert Iger. In keeping with their style, Feltheimer and Burns declined to be interviewed for this article.
"Jon's an excellent operational leader and Michael's great at managing the financial side," veteran media investor Gordon Crawford of Capital Research told Daily Variety.
Feltheimer had extensive experience in showbiz prior to joining Lionsgate. He arrived in Los Angeles to become a musician three decades ago, became an exec at New World in the 1980s, then spent much of the '90s running Sony Pictures' television operations. Burns spent most of the '80s and '90s at Prudential Securities and Shearson/American Expresss; he also specialized in raising equity within the media and entertainment industries.
These days, with Icahn irked over the stagnant stock price, Felt-heimer and Burns face a time-consuming and expensive distraction that's unlikely to go away any time soon.
They have asked shareholders to approve a poison pill that would make it more difficult for Icahn to take control. And several analysts have indicated that Icahn's bid of $6 a share — less than the closing stock price of $6.22 on Monday — isn't going to sway enough shareholders to give the activist investor control.
"He has to realize that he's not going to get it at this price," said Matthew Harrigan of Wunderlich Securities. "This isn't 1985, where they might give him $10 a share to make him go away. And the market's not all that disposed to breaking up a company right now."
Icahn, who owns 19% of Lionsgate, also blistered Feltheimer and Burns over Lionsgate's recent decision to explore acquisitions of MGM and the Miramax libraries. The execs, who have asserted in interviews that they have a fiduciary obligation to shareholders to explore ways of growing Lionsgate, backed away from both potential deals once it became clear that a low-ball bid would not be accepted.
Meanwhile, several analysts believe that the stock will rise as it becomes evident that Feltheimer and Burns have executed well on strategies of growth and diversifying into TV and new media. Over the decade, annual revenues have jumped from $100 million to $1.5 billion. And it's a player in TV as the home of kudos darling "Mad Men" and Showtime's "Weeds" and "Nurse Jackie."
Miller's particularly enthusiastic about last year's acquisition of TV Guide Network, noting that it will enable Lionsgate to grow revenues through the steady returns of an established cable outlet. He's also bullish on Lionsgate's moves into new distribution areas such as VOD channel Fearnet and fledgling pay TV channel Epix, which the company launched last year in partnership with Viacom and MGM.
Feltheimer and Burns received good news last week when veteran media analyst Alan Gould of Soleil Securities initiated coverage on the company's stock with a buy rating and an $8 a share target price. He said that a cold streak at the box office plus a slowdown in the DVD business have been factored into the valuation of the company; he also noted that Lionsgate has reinvested most of its free cash since Feltheimer and Burns arrived.
"We believe TV is a better and more profitable business than movies and Lionsgate has done a good job building its television division," Gould said. Lionsgate, he added, has managed to succeed because it's well capitalized, has sufficient cash flow from a 12,000-title library — estimated at $100 million annually — and manages its expenses.
Lionsgate originated 13 years ago when Canadian investment banker Frank Giustra founded the company with assets from Cinepix Film Properties. The company, based in Vancouver, now has about 1,000 employees and has most of its key operations in Santa Monica.
Feltheimer and Burns have made half a dozen major acquisitions — Trimark in 2000, Artisan in 2003, Brit film underwriter Redbus in 2005, syndicator Debmar-Mercury in 2006, Mandate Pictures in 2007 and TV Guide Network last year — all at what Lionsgate considers non-premium prices.
On the feature film side, Lionsgate remains an enigma.
It's best known for the "Saw," "Hostel" and Tyler Perry movies. ("Why Did I Get Married Too" made $30 million in its opening last weekend, the second best of the nine Tyler Perry films.) But Lionsgate also has managed over the past decade to earn 47 Oscar nominations for such arthouse fare as "Crash" "Precious" and "Monsters Ball." It's also released such offbeat documentary fare as Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" and Bill Maher's "Religulous."
Under Feltheimer and Burns, Lionsgate's movie operations are run very differently from the six majors. Lionsgate releases about 14 pics a year, about half produced internally. Average spending after government rebates and foreign presales is a mere $12 million per film.
Still, Icahn's seized upon "Killers" as an example of allegedly profligate spending. The action-comedy represents a bit of a departure for Lionsgate with a budget of about $70 million and pair of recognizable stars in Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher.
But Feltheimer and Burns continue to be tight-fisted compared to the majors. For example, the upcoming thriller "Abduction," even with the cost of star Tyler Lautner, will probably come in at about $40 million. "Precious," for example, was a $5.5 million Sundance purchase; "Kick-Ass," which is much anticipated among fan-boys and could top $100 million at the box office, cost Lionsgate a mere $15.5 million.
Meanwhile, showbiz dealmakers say the message from Feltheimer and Burns remains unchanged: As much as they'd like to aim for kudos fare, they are cautious about spending.


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Florida coach Will Muschamp added three players to his football program Wednesday, the first day junior college prospects could sign their national letters of intent.
Florida coach Will Muschamp added three players to his football program Wednesday, the first day junior college prospects could sign their national letters of intent.
The Gators received signatures from defensive tackle Darious Cummings (Scooba, Miss./East Mississippi C.C.) and offensive tackles Trenton Brown (Milledgeville, Ga./Georgia Military) and Tyler Moore (Clearwater/St. Pete College).
"I've said a number of times that the Southeastern Conference is a line-of-scrimmage league and all three of these players will help us with our depth on the line of scrimmage," UF coach Will Muschamp said.
The trio of JUCO linemen enroll at UF next month and will be eligible to play next season.
Cummings could make the most immediate impact, as Florida is expected to lose junior defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd to the NFL Draft and return just three players at the position.
"I'm just excited to be a part of the Gators and have the opportunity to play real early," Cumming said. "I'm looking to get myself better in the spring so I can have a chance to start and contribute enough to help the team out."
The 6-foot-2, 305-pounder signed with Florida State in 2010 as an ESPN150 member and spent two years with the Seminoles, redshirting one. Cummings feels fate brought him to Florida.
His uncle is former UF wideout and receivers coach Dwayne Dixon, and his father is close friends with legendary Gator linebacker Wilber Marshall, who is from the same high school (Titusville Astronaut) as Cummings. He will also be teammates with UF defensive tackle Damien Jacobs, who signed with FSU the year that Cummings did and attended the same community college.
"All of this was meant for me, I really believe that," said Cummings, who is ranked No. 31 in the ESPN Junior College 100. "I think about it in the back of my head. I feel like this is where I'm supposed to be at and everything was supposed to happen the way it did. So I'm ready to take this next step in my life and I know it's going to be a lot of fun."
Moore was a heralded recruit in 2011 out of Countryside Clearwater. Rivals.com ranked him as the top lineman prospect in the state and No. 67 in the Rivals100. He signed with Nebraska and was only the 10th lineman in school history to start as a true freshman.
But Moore left the Cornhuskers in early August to be closer to home, and his family is happy to have him back.
"He felt sort of isolated when he was at Nebraska," said Brian Moore, Tyler's father. "Now he's just a two-hour drive from his family and friends, and everyone is excited about him going to Florida. We've turned a few people into Gator fans already."
The 6-6, 305-pounder was reclassified as JUCO prospect because he attended St. Petersburg College to earn his Associate of Arts Degree. Moore took 20 credit hours this fall so he could enroll at UF next month. He has three years of eligibility remaining, starting in 2013.
"He really worked hard in the classroom because he wanted to get on campus as soon as possible," the elder Moore said. "With the help of (strength coach) Jeff Dillman in the offseason, he feels he'll be able to compete for a starting job. Tyler isn't cocky by any means, but he's confident in his abilities and his Division-I experience should help him a lot."
Brown checks in at No. 65 overall in ESPN's JUCO rankings, but he wasn't a highly rated recruit out of high school like Cummings or Moore.
He received interest from schools such as Alabama, Auburn and Georgia, but he had one issue. And it wasn't size.
"Athletic ability has never been a problem with me," said Brown, who is 6-8 and 350 pounds. "I could already be a Division-I player. But the academics held me back. I was never a dumb kid, I just didn't put forth the effort in high school because I thought teachers would just give me the grades because I was a football player."
Brown said everything changed for him when it was time to graduate. He only had one scholarship offer and couldn't qualify academically for any Division-I program.
"I came to a rude awakening my senior year when I was going over my transcript," Brown said. "That was really when I started turning the page on my life, and now I'm here with my AA degree. I was a JUCO All-American this year, and I want to be the same thing at Florida."


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By Renita Young
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago area voters went to the polls on Tuesday to choose a Democrat to succeed former Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. in a primary election partly bankrolled by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a champion of tighter gun control.
The special election is to fill the seat of Jackson Jr, who resigned last November citing health problems, and pleaded guilty in federal court last week to using campaign funds for personal enrichment.
Bloomberg has poured more than $2 million from his political war chest to support former state representative Robin Kelly, who supports tighter gun restrictions.
The Illinois State Rifle Association, a lobbying group aligned with gun rights group the National Rifle Association, has endorsed Debbie Halvorson who opposes an assault weapons ban.
Gun control vaulted to the top of the U.S. political agenda after the December 14 killing of 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
The election outcome will be an indication of whether Bloomberg and other advocates of gun control can effectively challenge the money and political influence of the NRA, which has long been a powerful force in U.S. elections.
Jackson Jr. was a reliable vote in Congress for gun control. But early polls in the race to succeed him showed that the Democratic primary could be won by Halvorson, who has an "A" rating from the NRA.
Bloomberg elbowed his way into the race, blanketing Chicago television with ads attacking Halvorson and endorsing Kelly.
Turnout was expected to be light in the special election and could be hurt by a snowstorm that hit the Chicago area about midday on Tuesday, making travel treacherous.
Kelly made one last push to gather votes Tuesday at an International House of Pancakes restaurant in the suburb of Matteson.
"We are driving the people that need rides (to the polls). ... Whatever they need, my troops are out doing that," she said.
With 14 candidates in the race, the outcome is difficult to predict. One public poll published last Friday showed Halvorson holding a slim lead, but some private polls have showed Kelly pulling ahead.
The large field of candidates drew some complaints from voters accustomed to Jackson Jr., who represented the district for nearly two decades.
"We've got to start getting together. We've got too many people running," said Donald Massingale, 73, a longtime Jackson Jr. supporter.
Some voters also said they were glad the special election was being held to fill the seat. Jackson Jr. disappeared from public view last June to be treated for mental health issues, and the district has effectively been without a representative in Washington since then.
"I don't think the people really understand the importance of this race to have the representation that our district needs," Delores Evans, 58, a poll worker said as she voted before starting work.
The race could also be affected by Chicago's racially charged politics. The district is majority African-American although parts of it stretch south to the predominantly white outer suburbs of Chicago.
Halvorson, who is the only white candidate for the seat, has appealed to suburban voters who might be sympathetic to gun ownership. Kelly, who is black, has highlighted a plague of gun violence in Chicago's inner city.
The winner of the Democratic primary is likely to be elected to the seat because the district is overwhelmingly Democratic.
(Reporting by Renita Young, writing by Greg McCune, editing by Jackie Frank, desking by G Crosse and Richard Chang)


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New Report: Coffee Cuts Endometrial Cancer Risk
A newly released scientific report links coffee with a protective effect against endometrial cancer. The report, published this week by the American Institute for Cancer Research and World Cancer Research Fund International, says that coffee drinking is one of several lifestyle and diet changes that can help women prevent the disease, also known as uterine cancer.
Analyzing results from eight independent scientific studies, the report concludes that one cup of coffee per day is associated with a 7% decreased risk of developing the disease. All of the analyzed studies found a decreased risk for higher versus lower levels of coffee consumption.
The report also noted the findings of two other published meta-analyses that found a statistically significant decreased risk of endometrial cancer for the highest coffee drinkers as compared with the lowest. A meta-analysis is a study that incorporates data from multiple pieces of research to amplify the scope and statistical significance of the findings.
The analysis also examined several pieces of research on decaffeinated coffee. The cumulative results showed that there was an overall 8% decreased risk of endometrial cancer per one cup per day.
According to the AARP Blog, endometrial cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive system, and the 49,600 annual cases outnumber ovarian and cervical cancers combined. Endometrial cancer primarily affects women over age 60, and claims 8,000 lives each year.
The report also discussed how coffee might deliver the protection they found. Several "mechanisms" were suggested, including the work of several of the chemical compounds found in coffee. Among them is chlorogenic acid, which has been shown to have strong antioxidant properties that can prevent damage to DNA, as well as improve insulin sensitivity and inhibit sugar uptake in the intestines.
The impact on sugar uptake is significant because excess insulin has been associated with the growth of endometrial cancer cells. Both regular and decaffeinated coffees have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and so reduce insulin levels in the blood. Other, indirect mechanisms were also discussed, such as coffee's suppression of a hormone that elevates estrogen levels in the blood.
Other Factors
Other factors cited in the report for reducing the risk of endometrial cancer include regular exercise, weight maintenance and avoidance of sugary drinks. The report notes that there is a strong link between obesity and cancer that is especially strong for endometrial cancer. Dr. Elisa Bandera, a Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey epidemiologist who helped lead the study, noted in an NBC News interview that obese women have two to three times the rate of endometrial cancer.
The report says that three out of every five cases of the disease could be prevented if women kept a healthy weight, got at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day, avoided sugary drinks and processed snack foods, and drank coffee.
The authors of the report – World Cancer Research Fund / American Institute for Cancer Research, Continuous Update Project Report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Endometrial Cancer, 2013 – state as their conclusion that "There is a substantial amount of epidemiological evidence, which is consistent, and there is a dose-response relationship. There is evidence for biological plausibility. Coffee probably protects against endometrial cancer."